PAT training – A must for those handling electrical equipment

It is a must for all employers to check their electrical appliances regularly to ensure they do not cause any harm to those handling themselves or others. There are standard practices laid down by IEE in its Code of Practice that everyone should adhere to. An ordinary person with little or no knowledge of checking or inspecting electrical appliances cannot assure the safety of people working on them. You need a competent person who has undergone PAT test training to do the job for you. These are the people who have had training in handling electrical appliances and checking them for safety.

PAT training in most institutes lasts for a day and during this while; the students are taught the importance of handling electrical appliances and inspecting them thoroughly. The training includes both theoretical and practical aspects of testing different electrical appliances. Upon the completion of training period, the candidates are issued a certificate that indicates their competence.
As mentioned above, there are different topics covered under a PAT training course. Most of them typically include Legislation, Electricity principles, Equipment classification, Inspections, The tests, Leads, Labeling and recording, Practical testing, and Downloading. In the Legislation segment you will be briefed about EAW act. In the next section, Equipment classification, you will be taught how to identify different appliances and classify them into Class I, II and III.

Under Inspections segment you will be taught about the different types of inspections like Formal Visual, User and Combined inspections. In the next section, the tests, you will be provided with descriptions of how different tests are carried out. You will also be taught why appliances can fail tests. The Leads section will throw more light on different techniques of testing extension and normal leads. As the name suggests, Labeling and recording section will teach you how to indicate the test results and how they can be recorded. In Practical testing section you will be given practical exposure of handling different electrical appliances and how to test them safely. In the last section, downloading, you can understand how a memory fitted tester can be downloaded easily.

At the end of the PAT training you will be required to be assessed as competent. Upon passing the assessment you will provided with a course completion certificate. There is no formal need to renew your certificate, although it is recommended to keep your own knowledge up to date. If you need to, you can attend a refresher course and get to know the latest things happening in the field of electrical testing. Interestingly, anyone can attend these training programs. In fact, most of these programs are custom made to ensure even those with little or no experience of testing portable electrical appliances. If you are interested in enrolling in one such PAT training program, do visit www.pat-training-now.co.uk and get to know more details related to it.